


Too Cold to Sleep Alone

by ClockworkDandy



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rating will go up, Sex in later chapters, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:40:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6199000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDandy/pseuds/ClockworkDandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gerome and Inigo share a tent during winter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeyo so this is my first attempt at a chapter fic and although I do have a vague idea of where it's going I'm mostly just playing this one by ear. 
> 
> And yes I do write even my chapter fics on my iPhone so kindly squint your eyes at any formatting oddities until they bleed together into a shapeless blur.

"Are we a couple?"

The question blindsides you and you look up quickly to where Inigo sits across the tent, cross legged on his bedroll. 

You set down your fork on your dinner plate and sigh, "what possibly could have given you that idea?"

He shrugs, obviously trying his best to look casual, "I don't know...we spend a lot of time together..."

"We were assigned to share a tent of course we-"

"We eat together..."

"Well yes but..."

"You kissed me once..." 

"I was 10!"

He smirks down at his plate and you sigh, exasperated.

"What brought this up anyway?"

You notice his posture change subtly and his bare feet wriggle in what you assume is embarrassment.

"My mother asked...she thought we were..."

You start noticeably, "W-what?? Why would she-"

He glances up and cocks an eyebrow in your direction. You wish you were still wearing your mask as your face flushes hot in embarrassment. You'd gotten into the habit of removing it around Inigo as it was his condition for allowing you and Minerva to sit in on his practices. 

"Haha, don't make such a stern face," he chuckles, "it's just silly gossip."

Your frown stays resolutely in place.

"Still...I wish our comrades would find more productive ways of amusing themselves than spreading these baseless rumors about...you and I? Honestly the very idea...how absurd."

"Haha...yeah..." It may just be you projecting but his laugh suddenly sounds a bit hollow. You glance over at him but he's already lying on his cot, face turned towards the canvas wall.

You reach over and douse the lantern, shrouding the small room in the blackness of a moonless night.

\----

You wake before dawn as usual. Inigo is still sleeping soundly so you dress as silently as possible and slip out without disturbing him.

You trudge through the damp morning air down towards the stable. The whether is turning colder every day much to your displeasure. You find the cold to be all but unbearable.

Minerva greets you with a low roar. You pat her snout affectionately and she snuffles at your hair in response. You spend the morning with her, making sure she's bathed and properly fed until breakfast is called. 

Today's meal consists of porridge and what appears to be some sort of smoked meat cooked by Kijelle. Cherche had apparently supervised it's preparation but you eye it warily nonetheless. 

You take a seat at an empty table and wait for Inigo to join you as he always does regardless of your wishes. You're still assessing just how willing you are to risk food poisoning when a tray is slammed down across from you. You look up expecting to see Inigo and are surprised when you instead come face to face with Severa's perpetually glaring visage. 

She sits stiffly across from you without asking for invitation and you clear your throat awkwardly. Though you'd never admit it under pain of death, you find Severa rather intimidating.

"What have you done to Inigo?" She bites out in a menacing whisper.

"...Excuse me?" You practically choke on your own saliva.

What had you done to Inigo? You hadn't even spoken to him all morning. 

Quickly glancing around reveals that curiously, he was nowhere to be found. Skipping meals was uncharacteristic of him.

"Where is he?"

"He won't leave his tent, he's been in there all morning," she replies coldly.

"Is something...wrong?" Your voice betrays a note of concern. He seemed fine this morning but you didn't exactly stick around to check on him.

"I should be asking you that," she flicks her orange hair back coolly, "did he say anything strange to you last night?" 

You can feel you face burn hot as you recall that awkward conversation. If Inigo's mother had been talking to the other shepherds...had everyone been in on this rumor? How long had it been circulating?

"I don't know what you might have heard, but Inigo and I...we're not...that is...we're just..." You can't bring yourself to say the words.

She sighs deeply and looks up at you almost sadly. 

"He likes you Gerome..."

Instantly you feel the blood drain from your face. Inigo likes you? Inigo who shamelessly throws himself at every female that enters his line of sight, the same Inigo who returns to camp in tears night after night having been rejected by one barmaid or another...likes you? 

"Y-you must be mistaken..." Your voice comes out weak and shaky.

"He told me about his feelings some time ago. He was planning on confessing to you last night... I take it that conversation didn't go the way he planned." 

You swallow thickly and she sighs again.

"He said...that everyone thought we were...a couple"

"And what did you say to that?"

You look away, unable to meet her eye, as a sudden wave of guilt crashes over you, "I said...that the idea was absurd..."

She fixes you with another one of her glares, as if you'd just said something profoundly stupid.

"Gawds Gerome don't be thick, everyone does think you're a couple. You two were close even in the future, but since we've been here you've become inseparable. You even eat together...alone together."

You spare a glance down the otherwise unoccupied table. It wasn't as if you asked him to sit with you! You were perfectly content on you own. You never asked for him to volunteer to share your tent or for his help taking care of Minerva or for him to dance for you. As usual he'd just gone and done whatever he pleased...oh gods...

Realization hits you like a brick. He'd done all those things for you...you'd just thought it was another of his irritating ploys to get you to socialize and brushed him off as always, but he'd really been going above and beyond as of late. 

Severa looks smug as you turn your horrified expression on her.

"What do I do?" You all but plead, as she examines a forkful of meat distastefully. 

"Look I'm not saying you have to go out with him just because he likes you..." she huffs, "although removing him from the playing field would be a welcome breath of fresh air for all of womankind."

She sighs as you continue looking highly unsettled.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do but you could stand to have a bit more tact next time you talk to him...Inigo is a really sensitive guy believe it or not."

She leaves you to your meal which remains untouched on your tray. Your stomach has twisted itself into knots and you're having to put a great deal more effort into your carefully neutral expression than normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Poooor Gerome, everything gets so complicated when you are forced to socialize.
> 
> I have a feeling we're in for the long haul with this one here although I promise It'll start getting steamy sooner rather than later (maybe chapter 3?????). Anyway I want to keep the chapters pretty short so I'm motivated to crank them out as fast as possible.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this chapter! I'm always a slut for suggestions and crit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I've never tried writing any sort of action sequence before and I really enjoyed it!

So Inigo likes you...he'd apparently also gone so far as to seek advice in the matter from at least one of your comrades so you could hardly be surprised that rumors had started circulating. 

You mull over this new and rather unnerving information as you traipse back to your and Inigo's shared tent. When you enter his bed is empty and you sigh, you had wanted to catch him alone before training but it seems he'd already departed. You don your armor in silence and leave.

\-----

The air above the empty meadow currently serving as the army's makeshift training field is frigid and damp. The wind stings your face and bites through your clothes as you practice evasive maneuvers with Cherche, making your teeth chatter uncontrollably.

She speeds at you on the back of Minerva's younger self, blunt training axe readied for a killing blow. You are forced to veer off into an awkward barrel roll to avoid her and you feel the wooden blade graze off your pauldron before you can get clear of it. Had this been an actual battle you'd have probably been gravely wounded. 

You right yourself with a frustrated huff, Minerva beating her wings to hover in midair.

"You seem distracted," Cherche pulls her Minerva up to face you, "how unusual..."

"It's the cold..." You grunt. You know your excuse is lame before you even voice it. Cherche seems to be faring just fine with much lighter armor and an open backed chemise of all things.

She nods and pulls up again, taking Minerva in a lap around the field to get back into position. You're not sure if she believes you or not but you're glad she didn't press the issue.

Your eyes wander the field below in search of the true source of your agitation. You can just make out Inigo's pale blue mop of hair as he practices archery with his father a little ways off from the main group. You remember him being completely useless with a bow in the future (he'd confided in you once that his father had never gotten the chance to teach him before being called off to war) but it seems he must have possessed some inborn talent after all as lessons with Virion have proven highly successful and you watch him sink an arrow into the center of the bull's eye from a considerable distance.

You're startled out of your musings as Cherche comes hurtling towards you again with a furious battle cry. You have no time to react and she just manages to pull out of her dive in time to avoid unseating you.

She sighs and fixes you with a stern gaze, "Since when is it proper form to take your eyes off of your enemy Gerome?" 

"My apologies...it won't happen again..." You reply.

Cherche shakes her head, "It's not safe to practice these sorts of dangerous maneuvers if you're having trouble concentrating...perhaps you should take the day off."

It's phrased as a proposal but something in her tone conveys that she was not making a suggestion.

"Yes Mother..." the words are out of your mouth before you can even think to stop them. She had looked so like the mother you had lost in that moment that you answered her without a second thought.

Her lips part in surprise as her eyes search for yours behind the mask. You can feel your face burning. 

You turn Minerva sharply downwards, "I have to go," you shout back over your shoulder as she calls after you.

\---

After making sure Minerva is bathed and blanketed you sulk back to your tent alone. The weather has warmed slightly in the two or so hours since training ended but it does little for your sour mood.

You push through the tent flaps carelessly and accidentally startle Inigo who is changing clothes across the tent. He makes a sound of surprise, fumbling with the tunic in his hands and you get an unintentional eyeful of his naked back.

"Apologies," you mumble, cheeks aflame, and turn out of the tent as swiftly as possible.

Up until this point you had managed to avoid walking in on each other by announcing your presence at the tent entrance. Of course you would chose today of all days to forget the routine in your distraction and rack up yet another awkward encounter before lunch.

You really have nowhere to go so you stand uncomfortably outside the tent waiting for Inigo to give you the all clear. Through your mortification at catching him undressed, you couldn't help but note that Inigo has gotten visibly stronger. You had seen him shirtless before but not since you had both barely been into your teens. He had managed to keep his preferred slim physique but now with a healthy layer of lean muscle to his back and arms. You would comment on his improvement but at the risk of entering into another embarrassing conversation you decide to keep your thoughts to yourself.

The tent flaps rustle and Inigo pokes his head out. His hair is damp and there is a pink tinge to his cheeks.

"Hurry and come in, it's freezing."

It is barely warmer inside but at least there is relief from the biting wind. 

You sit on your cot and he returns to the large shard of cracked mirror propped up against a tent beam currently serving as your looking glass. He fiddles with his fringe, brushing it this way and that or twirling an errant lock around his finger as is his habit.

When you can stand the silence no longer you clear your throat. He pauses and glances at you through the mirror.

"I'd like to...um...apologize..." your voice is rough and you're not exactly sure what you plan to say.

He forces a laugh, "Oh don't worry...I've been caught in far more compromising positions..." He winks at you in the mirror, "If you know what I mean."

You don't know and you seriously doubt that he does either. You don't entirely resist the urge to roll your eyes behind your mask.

"Granted but I'm not apologizing just for storming in unannounced...I think I may have been...tactless in some things I said last night..."

You look at him through the mirror and he swallows uneasily.

"I spoke with Severa this morning and I just wanted to say that I didn't mean...that is...It's not you it's just-"

He makes a pained sound, hiding his face in his hands, "Oh gods what did she tell you? This is so humiliating I could die! I told her not to say anything!"

"Um I..." You glance around awkwardly, totally out of your depth.

He flops down onto his cot, burying his face into his pillow and wailing something mostly unintelligible about never showing his face again.

"Don't be upset..." you plead, "I'm sure she meant well..."

He rolls towards the canvas wall, groaning, "I can't believe this, I'm so embarrassed..."

"I'm sorry..." You offer because it's all you can think to say.

He sighs defeatedly, "so are you going to ask to be reassigned?"

"Excuse me?" You blink at him in confusion.

"Well I suppose you don't feel comfortable sharing a tent with me now that you know I'm...er...now that you know..." He sniffles pathetically and you surprise yourself with how badly you really do feel for him. 

"Don't be ridiculous, surely you don't think me so rash as that..."

Honestly the thought of asking for a new living arrangement never crossed your mind. Since he ceased dragging you out skirt chasing every other night, Inigo has proven himself to be rather pleasant company. His side of the room is always a mess and he stays up all hours of the night but otherwise you get along fine together. Besides you know that the other option is sharing a tent with Owain and never resting peacefully again.

"Really?" Inigo peeks at you over his shoulder, face flushed and wet with tears, "you aren't angry? You don't want me to leave?" 

You sigh, exasperated, "No, I want you to stop crying though, it makes me uneasy," you turn away to hide your flush and rummage through your pack for a needle and thread, "Now come sit here, you have a tear in your sleeve and it's going to bother me if I don't see to it."

He laughs, wiping the tears from his red cheeks "Good because I would have so missed that charming personality."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!! Stay tuned for awkward boyfriends


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerome has some feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry omg it's been 84 years I know. This chapter begins to earn the rating but oh man those small little scenes took foreVER. I hadn't planned how I wanted them like I have the other sexy scenes that are to come I just knew they were gonna happen but not howwww. Hopefully it will come easier in the next couple chapters. Anyway please enjoy!

In the evening you return from supper to find Inigo practicing some new steps in your tent. He laughs shyly when you enter (after being sure to announce yourself this time) but doesn't stop his movements. 

"I hope you don't mind, it's gotten too chilly to practice in the woods..."

"Please, don't let me disturb you," you reply, kicking off your boots and sitting quietly on your bed to continue your sewing, sneaking peeks at him between stitches.

He hums a melody under his breath as he turns with a flourish of his arms.

"Is that one of Brady's compositions?" You ask offhandedly.

"Yes he played it for me this afternoon so I set to work on a new routine." Inigo replies without pausing his motions, "He thinks we should put together a performance for the shepherds to lift morale but I don't know if I'm quite ready to perform in front of people..."

The corners of your mouth twitch upwards slightly as you tie off a stitch. 

He finishes off his practice and goes to stand before the mirror, fussing with his hair once more. He straightens his clothes and reaches for the small bottle of cologne on his makeshift end table that was really nothing more than a discarded crate stood beside his cot. 

"Are you going out?" You ask as he dabs the flowery scent along his neck.

"Hmmm? Oh yes," he says, re-stoppering the glass vial, "I have a date~"

"O-oh," you reply. 

You don't know what you were expecting. He'd never indicated any intention to cease his womanizing just because...well.

"Yes there's no point in crying over spilt milk, or so they say." 

You have to agree on this point as the idea of Inigo crying over you makes you very uncomfortable.

"Inigo, are you in here?" A female voice calls from just outside the entrance.

Suddenly the tent flap is thrown open and Morgan barges in wholly uninvited.

You hastily fumble for your mask on the bed before remembering in relief that you'd never actually removed it.

"Morgan!" Inigo greets her enthusiastically, "My, my and you look so beautiful this evening!"

Morgan rolls her eyes in your general direction and you can't completely keep small smirk in check. 

She's wearing a blue dress you've never seen her in before and her dark hair is noticeably brushed and pined back with a pair of silver barrettes. She does really look very pretty.

"Are you ready then?" she sighs impatiently as Inigo takes a final look in the mirror and tucks in his shirt.

"Yes yes all ready!" He replies waving to you as he ushers her out of the tent.

The flaps fall closed on Morgan inquiring as to whether Inigo could afford her overpriced eatery of choice. 

You are left alone feeling decidedly odd. It was always hard for you to interpret your own feelings so you chalk it up to perhaps not having had enough to eat at dinner. 

You put away your sewing for the evening and remove your mask before climbing into bed otherwise fully clothed. It's gone positively freezing since the sun set hours earlier and you know you would never be able to manage the night in just your nightshirt and shorts.

Curling your blankets around yourself like a makeshift nest you try quite unsuccessfully to get warm before eventually drifting off into a fitful sleep.

\-----

Everything is...so warm...

You can't move much and your arms seem weighted down like lead but somehow you feel oddly content.

"Mmmmn..."

Someone's hands on you. Everything is hazy and soft and so so warm. 

"Gerome~" 

The voice is familiar. Your eyes flutter open just slightly.

Inigo smiles serenely down at you. The edges of your sight are strangely blurry and unfocused. It occurs to you somewhere in the back of your mind that you are dreaming but the thought is fleeting and seems largely unimportant given the present situation.

Inigo's hips press agains yours as he straddles you, rocking gently.

"You're so hard..." he breathes, arching his back and bracing himself against your thighs, putting his half naked body on display in a way you're sure would make the real Inigo die from mortification. 

As it is, dream Inigo's observational skills prove to be very astute as he grinds down on you again with a breathy sigh. Its been some time since you last felt like this. Back before the war had taken your family and rendered your homeland inhospitable you have memories of laying awake late at night, aching for release but too embarrassed to actually touch yourself. 

You can't help but moan low in your throat as Inigo presses forward again and sways his hips in a move you'd seen him do before but never in this context. He's making sounds, soft pleasured vocalizations as he ruts against you. Your breathing picks up as your fingers clutch desperately at the bedsheets. 

He leans forward over you, hands on your chest, soft warm light shining in his hair as it gently curls around his face. It is an irresistibly pretty view.

Inigo sighs, moving in to press your foreheads together. His nose brushes along yours and you feel a shiver run down your spine.

"I've wanted to do this for so long..." He murmurs, lips barely a breath away from yours as he speaks. You try to lean into him but your head just feels to heavy to move. The light begins to fate at the edges and the comfortable warmth slowly leaches away as you close your eyes, giving in to the inky blackness.

\----

You jolt awake with a gasp, startling the real Inigo who is preparing for bed on the other side of the tent.

"Gods! You frightened me!" He laughs, doing up the ties on his nightshirt.

You try to calm your erratic breathing, praying to any gods willing to listen that he can't tell how flushed you know you are in the dark room. 

He pauses, concern evident in his expression, "Was it a bad dream?"

It wasn't uncommon for either of you to wake in the night, trembling and drenched in sweat, ghastly images of the ruined future still fresh in mind. 

You shake your head, "No, not bad," you assure him, not wanting him to worry. 

He steps towards your bed and gently brushes your forehead with the back of his hand. His touch is cool against your feverish skin and it makes your lower body throb, reminding you of your current embarrassing condition. You sit very still, hands clenched in your blanket as he clicks his tongue.

"You're burning up...do you feel ill?"

You shake your head minutely, the tactile sensation of his skin on yours doing nothing to quell the heat in your body. At least you aren't cold anymore.

He looks at you strangely for a moment and hesitantly withdraws his hand, "well if you're sure you're alright ..."

You swallow nervously as he backs away, still with that odd expression you can't quite place. 

"Anyway, I'm going to sleep," he announces, turning and sliding beneath the blankets piled onto his bedroll, "it's quite late, you should sleep too." 

He pulls up the blankets and rolls away to face the canvas wall. You lay back and try to keep your breathing silent. 

It doesn't take you very long to give in to the insistent throbbing in your lower body. Not after a dream like that. 

You aren't exactly sure how to feel as you reach down on yourself as quietly as possible. Although it doesn't happen often, it isn't the first time you've had that kind of dream involving someone you know, (you recall how in your teens an embarrassing number of such dreams had featured Severa's mother) it is, however, the first time you've ever dreamt of another boy. Leave it to Inigo to make an appearance where he is the least welcome.

Your hand slips past the waistband of your trousers and you anxiously glance to the side to make sure Inigo is asleep. His nightshirt leaves the back of his neck exposed and strands of hair, pale blue in the moonlight, brush against his bare shoulder. You bite your lip and rub yourself a bit faster through your smallclothes, caught between trying to stay silent and trying to get it done quickly. 

"He likes you Gerome." 

It hits you again as you recall Severa's words. Inigo is interested in you that way. The thought sends a little spark of heat through you. Your hand slips beneath your smallclothes and you grip yourself, stroking slowly, trying to move as little as possible. You wonder if Inigo has ever done this while you slept. Probably. You wonder if he ever did it while thinking of you. Your strokes speed up as you imagine what he might fantasize about doing with you. Probably silly romantic things like holding hands and looking at the stars. 

He probably would like to kiss you. You've never been kissed and never really gave much thought as to what it would be like. You know Inigo has, you saw him with that pretty blonde girl in Valm that day he was reunited with the Shepherds. Has he kissed other women? Men? Has he gone further than just kissing? 

What if he imagines going further with you? What would that be like? Your toes curl as you recall the way it felt in your dream and you have to press the back of your hand to your mouth in order to stifle your heavy breathing. Your cock twitches and you are suddenly very close. You can't help but arch up a bit, still keenly aware that too much movement could give you away. Your strokes become faster, rougher and you bite your lip hard as you come into your hand, breathing in sharply through your nose.

The tension in your body unravels slowly as the intensity subsides. That felt good. Really good. You wonder for a moment why you had always been so shy about...pleasing yourself in the past. Perhaps if you were more regular about it you'd cease having such strange dreams.

You cringe as you flex your fingers and feel the stickiness between them. Well that was an unpleasant side effect...

Reaching down with your other hand you pull your handkerchief from the pocket of your pants and use it to clean your fingers. You crumple it and shove it between the side of your cot and the tent wall. You need to do the washing tomorrow anyway.

Now intensely relaxed and pleasantly warm as well as a bit tingly, you fix your clothes and pull up your blanket. It barely takes you any time at all to drift back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planning out this chapter I was just like who could baby Gerome even jerk it to when he has the hottest mom available in game like?? Cordelia was the obvious choice. 
> 
> I really like writing from his pov. I relate to him when it comes to interacting with other people. Like what is this? What are they thinking??? Not so much with his other issues (I promise I never had repressed sexy dreams of anyone's mom) but hey. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More to come


End file.
